


Recognize There's Another Way

by miss_whimsy



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Post-Season/Series 06 Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 12:09:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4100473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_whimsy/pseuds/miss_whimsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeff needs help. Britta tries her best.</p><p>Set directly after the end of season 6. Spoliers for the finale. Mostly a Jeff and Britta friendship fic with mentions of Jeff/Annie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recognize There's Another Way

The door opened with a bang as Britta supported Jeff's weight, rather than letting him go crashing to the ground the way she really wanted to.

"You gonna leave me too?" he slurred and she rolled her eyes, letting his head bang against the wall as they staggered the other way. He didn't deserve that much sympathy.

"I'm not that lucky," Britta answered, kicking the door shut behind them. "I assume you want to sleep in Annie's room."

Jeff's eyes widened slightly, unfocused and sad. "Shhhh."

"Oh, is it a secret?" Britta hissed back at him. "Am I not supposed to know?" She stepped back and crossed her arms, watching him wriggle awkwardly against the wall as he tried to keep his balance. "Fine. Fend for yourself."

" You're a mean drunk," Jeff said flatly.

"I am in fact sober," Britta told him with a smile. "And you are a sad drunk." She took hold of his arm again. "Come on. I can sleep in Abed's room."

She hurried them across to Annie's room and pushed him face first onto the bed. He inhaled deeply and his face scrunched up in misery.

"Please don't cry, please don't cry, please don't cry," Britta whispered to herself as she pulled off his shoes and somehow managed to wrangle him under the covers.

"Britta?" Jeff said when she moved the trash can to the side of the bed, just in case.

"Yes?"

"This has to stop."

She nodded and ran her hand through his hair. "We'll work it out tomorrow."

***

Jeff woke up feeling like death. In fact death was probably too nice for how he felt.

His stomach rolled and he vomited into the handily placed trash can beside the bed.

He groaned and collapsed back onto the mattress. He raised his hands to his head, grimacing against his hangover.

"Jeffrey, if you're done throwing up come out here and eat," Britta yelled.

Jeff groaned again and pulled the covers up over his head. They smelled like Annie. He breathed her in and pouted slightly. He didn't want to eat. He wanted to wallow.

"Jeff!" Britta shouted, "if you don't get out here now, I'm coming in top drag you out."

He kicked the blankets away and pushed himself up.

"Why do you hate me?" he asked quietly when he emerged.

"Is that how you talk to people who make you breakfast?" she asked, holding up a plate. "Coffee?"

He sat at the counter and stared at the plate of food. He would never admit it to anyone, but Britta was, in fact, the best.

She set a mug of coffee in front of him. "So."

"Food first," he sighed.

She nodded and sipped her own coffee, pottering around the kitchen that was now solely her domain.

"This is a big place for one person," she said while he ate. "If you dont want to be alone, you could move in here."

"I have a place," Jeff reminded her around a mouthful of bacon and eggs. "I'm fine."

"Liar."

Jeff didn't deny it. "What happens when they come back?" he asked and ignored the look she gave him in response.

He sighed. "When did I become this person? I used to be so happy."

"And then you grew up," Britta said. She shook her head. "That came out wrong."

"Oh please continue."

"What I mean is," Britta explained. "You were alone and you thought money and things and meaningless sex made up for not having any friends, and intimacy issues a mile long. And then you found a group of friends who loved you as you are. You found a family. And that filled up the hole that nothing else could. So now when your family leaves you, of course it hurts."

Jeff stared at her. "That was..."

"Right on the money. I know."

"Annie's gone," Jeff said.

Britta raised her eyebrows and waited.

Jeff took a deep breath. "I love her."

He didn't know what he expected Britta's response to be, but he knew it wasn't her running around the counter to hug him.

"I am so proud of you," she said, giving him a squeeze. " Pervert."

He smiled against her hair and hugged her back. "What do I do now?"

"Are you actually asking?"

"Bizzarely," he told her, "yes. What do I do?"

***

"Now you prepare yourself," Britta told him, setting her hands on his shoulders.

"For what?" he asked.

"For the movie!" Britta exclaimed. "Six seasons and a movie remember?"

"Britta," Jeff sighed.

"No, listen," she said. "The season just ended. The hero is a lonely, sad, borderline alcoholic who just watched the love of his life get on a plane and fly away."

"Is this supposed to be cheering me up?"

She ignored him. "The movie ends with the hero getting the heroine, right? And how does he do that?"

"I believe that was my original question."

"Well first of all you need to get out of this funk," Britta told him. "And stop drinking. Maybe learn how to actually teach a class."

"This sounds like an awful lot of work," Jeff complained.

"Yes," Britta agreed. "It does. And you don't have to do it if you don't want to. You just have to decide if Annie's worth it."

Jeff thought about his fantasy of the  perfect future, remembered how happy he was, how much he wanted it.

"She is," he said. "She's worth it."

Britta smiled and gave him another hug. "Then finish your breakfast Winger. We've got work to do."


End file.
